Summer 2022 is fast approaching and so is the next MotorOn event. For those of you out there that fancy another challenge we will be attempting the British 3 Peaks in early July. Traditionally the challenge would involve climbing the highest peaks in Wales, Scotland and England in 24hrs. In true MotorOn fashion however we thought that this was far too easy so we set ourselves the goal of not only walking up the peaks but also cycling between them.
We plan to start on Ben Nevis on the 13th of July, then travel by bike or car down to Scafell Pike for a second stretch of the legs early on Friday morning. We will then get on our bikes again aiming to reach Yr Wyddfa on the afternoon of the 16th of July.
As always, the aim of the challenge is to be inclusive and participants can commit to one peak, three peaks or three peaks and the cycle or just come along and offer your support.
For more information please contact us.
Wednesday 13th July to Saturday 16th July 2022.
The full journey will entail:
Day 1️⃣ – Climb Ben Nevis followed by around 100 mile cycle ride
Day 2️⃣ – Around 140-145 mile cycle ride
Day 3️⃣ – Climb Scafell Pike followed by around 90-100 mile cycle ride
Day 4️⃣ – 90-100 mile cycle ride followed by climb of Snowdon
The Challenge Mark 2
After the success of our initial Motoron.cymru campaign, it remained equally important for us as a family to remain active and continue to strive for a more active approach to managing Motor Neurone Disease in Wales.
When we started on this journey our aim was to raise £10,000 but we were completely overwhelmed with the support that resulted in close to £70,000 being raised and perhaps more importantly a commitment to starting SMART Trials in Wales. After the three peaks challenge, it seemed a shame to let all that positive energy go to waste so the idea of cycling to Edinburgh to deliver the cheque to the Doddy5 foundation was born.
On the 22nd of August we were joined in the saddle by a loyal band of friends and family that were happy to cycle 65 miles or so a day from Yr Wyddfa to Arthur’s seat in Edinburgh. Any journey when undertaken on your own can seem long and arduous, but add a few friends and plenty of laughter and the miles fly by. The same can be said of our journey with MND, it is not something that should or can be tackled on your own, the road is too hard, but with the support of others, you can continue moving forwards. The next step for Motoron.cymru is to try and make sure that as many MND patients as possible over Wales can find their own challenge and have the support to remain positive and active any which way they can.
The Welsh Three Peaks Challenge
You will never get to the top of the mountain if you give up at the bottom. So, in keeping with our determination to keep motoring on for as long as possible we decided to put together a small challenge on the first weekend of July 2021. Bob, Lowri and Will, along with some of our more adventurous family, friends and colleagues completed the Welsh Three peaks – the hard way. The weekend’s activity, as well as being a lot of fun has raised some much-needed funds for research into MND and also for our local hospice at Skanda Vale.
The challenge took place over the weekend of the 2-4th of July 2021 and was in 5 stages.
Stage 1, 2nd July:
Climb Mount Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales at 1085 metres,
Distance – 7 miles (there and back)
Height Gained – 723m (2,372 ft)
Time: Approx. 4 hours (there and back)
Stage 2, 3rd July:
Cycle from the foot of Snowdon to the foot of Cader Idris. 49.7 miles with a climb of 1142 metres (3747 ft) and decent of 861 metres (2828 ft) approx. 5 hours.
Stage 3, 3rd July:
Climb Cader Idris at 893 metres along the Minfford Path
Distance – 10km up and down,
Height Gained – 930 metres,
Time – around 5 hours
Stage 4, 4th July:
Cycle from the foot of Cader Idris to the foot of Pen Y Fan, 85 miles, climb of 1722 metres (5650 ft) and decent of 2051 metres (6732 ft) approx. 9 hours.
Stage 5, 4th July:
Climb Pen y Fan at 886 metres,
Distance – 6 km there and back
Height Gained – 446 metres,
Time – approx. 2.5 hours.
This was very much an inclusive and an individual challenge, a group of friends getting together and attempting a quite difficult, but not impossible task, made easier with the help and support of each other. Participants were free to do as many or as few of the 5 stages as they chose, the emphasis being on participation, teamwork, and cooperation throughout, with personal goals achieved and a good time had by all and of course to raise some funds for two very deserving charities.